The English Assassin by Daniel Silva is a taut, fast-paced thriller confidently rooted in fact - Switzerland's shameful WWII record of profiteering and collaboration with Nazi Germany. During the 2nd World War vast numbers of the world’s great painting masterpieces were stolen by the Nazis and given to the bankers of Zurich for safe keeping. Many of these paintings were owned by the then persecuted Jews. Under Swiss law if an item was unclaimed after 5 years that item then became the property of the person who was currently in possession of it, making it impossible for the rightful owners to prove provenance.When art restorer and occasional Israeli agent Gabriel Allon is sent to Zurich to restore the painting of a reclusive millionaire banker, he arrives to find his would-be employer murdered and a secret collection of priceless, illicitly gained Impressionist masterpieces is missing. Gabriel's handler steps out of the shadows to admit the truth - the collector had been silenced, and Gabriel is put back in the high-stakes spy game, tasked with recovering the paintings and returning them to their rightful owners. But the Swiss Bankers are not about to give billions of dollars in artwork away and are quite prepared to kill to keep possession of the masterpieces.
Tense, expertly crafted, and with a few twists and turns, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also found the exploration of the secretive world of Swiss banking and the secretive culture of Switzerland fascinating.
~Happy Reading ~
oooh that sounds good. I'll have to look for it at the library.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds good!
ReplyDeleteThat looks interesting. I know nothing about the Swiss role in the war, so I must read it and be a bit more informed!
ReplyDeleteHello, Thanks for sharing a great review. Sounds like an interesting book. Enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteooh, that sounds good. I've not read a mystery/thriller for ages.
ReplyDelete